Charlie Baum (born December 13, 1972[1][2]) is an American politician and a Republican member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, representing District 37 (Murfreesboro) since November 6, 2018. Baum is also a professor of economics at Middle Tennessee State University.[3]

Charlie Baum
Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives
from the 37th district
Assumed office
November 6, 2018
Preceded byDawn White
Personal details
Born (1972-12-13) December 13, 1972 (age 51)
Political partyRepublican
SpouseKelly Baum
ChildrenElizabeth, Anna Jane, Charles
EducationWake Forest University (BA)
University of North Carolina (PhD)
OccupationPolitician
Professor

In 2023, Baum was the only Republican to vote against three resolutions to expel three Democratic lawmakers from the legislature for violating decorum rules. The two successful expulsions were widely characterized as unprecedented.[4] Baum told the Tennessean he wanted to keep working with the three lawmakers to "become more effective legislators" and said that "the vast majority of ['my constituents'] didn't want these representatives expelled".[3]

Background

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Education

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Baum attended Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina where he earned his B.A. in economics in 1995. Baum then attended the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, where he received his Ph.D. in economics in 1999.[5]

Teaching career

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Baum currently teaches economics at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. He has taught at MTSU since August 1999.

Personal life

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Baum was raised in Knoxville, Tennessee. He is married to his wife Kelly and they have 3 children: Elizabeth, Anna Jane, and Charles. Baum and his family are active members of the First United Methodist Church in Murfreesboro.[6]

Electoral history

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2018 election

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Primary election results

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The District 37 Republican Primary Election took place on August 2, 2018.[7]

Candidate Percentage of Votes Total Votes Received
Charlie Baum 100% 5,831 Votes

General election results

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The District 37 General Election took place on November 6, 2018.[7]

Candidate Percentage of Votes Total Votes Received
Charlie Baum (R) 59.3% 13,455 Votes
Deanna Debow Osborne (D) 40.7% 9,218 Votes

2022 election

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Republican Primary

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Republican primary
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Charlie Baum (incumbent) 3,658 100.00%
Total votes 3,658 100.00%

General election

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Tennessee House of Representatives District 37 general election, 2022
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Charlie Baum (incumbent) 9,456 65.44%
Democratic Bill Levine 4,993 34.56%
Total votes 14,449 100.00%
Republican hold

Current legislative committees

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Role Committee
Member Finance, Ways, & Means Committee
Member Finance, Ways, & Means Appropriations Committee
Member Education
Member Consumer & Human Resources Committee
Member Employee Affairs Subcommittee

[2]

Community involvement

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Volunteer work

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Baum was a board member for 4 years at the United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties[8] from 2013–2017. He was a board member at the American Heart Association of Rutherford County for 5 years from 2012–2017. He was a county commissioner at the Rutherford County Commission for 8 years from 2010–2018. He was a board member on the Murfreesboro City School Foundation for 6 years from 2013–2019. He is currently a board member on the Linebaugh Library Foundation Board, where he has served since 2015. Baum is currently a board member at Oaklands Historic Mansion,[9] where he has served since 2016.[5]

Organizations

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Baum has been a part of the American Academy of Economics and Financial Experts[10] (AAEFE) since 2015. He has been a part of National Association of Forensic Economists[11] since January 2013.

Published work

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Baum published "Calculating Economic Losses from Wrongful Incarceration"[12] in the Tennessee Bar Journal in July 2016. Baum published "Employee Tenure and Economic Losses in Wrongful Termination Cases"[13] in the Journal of Forensic Economics[14] in 2013.

Honors and awards

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In 1988, Baum became an Eagle Scout, as a part of the Boy Scouts of America.[2] From 2008–2014, Baum served as a chair in the Department of Economics and Finance at MTSU.[2]

References

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  1. ^ Broden, Scott. "Election 2018: What Baum, Osborne say about economy, jobs and roads in Rutherford County". Daily News Journal. USA Today Network. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d "Representative Charlie Baum". Tennessee General Assembly. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Gadd, Chris (8 April 2023). "One TN Republican didn't vote for lawmakers' expulsion. Here's who and why". The Tennessean.
  4. ^ Andone, Dakin; Young, Ryan; Simonson, Amy; Almasy, Steve. "Tennessee's Republican-led House expels 2 Democratic lawmakers over gun reform protest, fails in bid to oust a third". CNN. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
  5. ^ a b "Charles Baum Professor of Economics". LinkedIn. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  6. ^ "Charlie Baum's Biography". Vote Smart Facts Matter. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  7. ^ a b "Charlie Baum". Ballotpedia. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  8. ^ "| United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties". www.yourlocaluw.org.
  9. ^ "Oaklands Mansion".
  10. ^ "AAEFE". aaefe.org.
  11. ^ "NAFE Internet Home". www.nafe.net.
  12. ^ "Calculating Economic Losses from Wrongful Incarceration - TBA Law Blog". www.tba.org.
  13. ^ Baum, Charles L. (2013). "Employee Tenure and Economic Losses in Wrongful Termination Cases". Journal of Forensic Economics. 24 (1): 41–66. doi:10.5085/jfe.24.1.41. JSTOR 42756289 – via JSTOR.
  14. ^ "Allen Press". meridian.allenpress.com. Retrieved 2024-03-09.